Watch_Dogs 2: PS4 Review

Watch_Dogs 2: PS4 Review

Released by Ubisoft
Platform: PS4

It's a hard life being a sequel.

Especially when you're following the much derided Watch_Dogs, an Ubisoft title that got itself a fair share of unfair criticism for its dour plot, slightly dull protagonist and repetitive game play.

Well, even though apathy may have hit some at the news a second Watch_Dogs was on the way, they'll be blown out of the water by the game which easily eclipses its past and emerges as a real contender for game of the year as we head into the last 2 months of 2016.

This time around, rerouting the action to San Francisco and the Bay area seems a great move - and throwing in a lead whose punkishly amusing trains of thought and execution fuel a great deal of fun in the game.

The Big Brother machine ethos is still in full effect in Watch_Dogs 2 with your main character Marcus Holloway setting out to take down his profile from the Central Operating System as the game begins. Once this mission of infiltration is complete, Holloway's kidnapped by a hacking collective known as DedSec.
Coming to, Holloway realises he's been inducted into their world and sets out to be part of the group, following their aims and desires to bring a bit of anarchy to the monitoring system that's in play.

And this is really where the fun begins in this open world game.

Revelling in an ethos that came to life in the massive open world of Grand Theft Auto, Watch_Dogs 2 is a bright, vibrant, loose and nimble sequel that is easy to lose hours in.

Whether it's fulfilling the ongoing missions that are laid down by DedSec, or becoming an Uber style driver with various tasks (a la taxi missions from GTA) to simply lifting cash from passers-by by hacking into their phones, there's so much to do, explore and see in Watch_Dogs 2 that it's no wonder the main story missions end up being sidelined.

It helps that the NPCs fuel such a rich world around the Bay Area and that every encounter proves to be another distraction; this is a world that's both realistic and utterly compelling; a sort of Second Life San Fran to throw yourself into. Stealth is once again needed and Holloway gains experience and followers by completing jobs (thus expanding out his own experience and skill base).
But there's much that's rich on display here and a smattering of social commentary thrown in as well (one of the Uber style missions sees your passenger starting to lay claims against what Uber's doing to the industry) and these ingredients all combine to keep the world feeling like it's incredibly realistic and utterly engaging.

Marcus himself is a nicely visualised character and the DedSec gang all work well (no real Hackers style cliches here, but to be frank, they'd be forgiven) - from using drones or a RC to help him achieve some of his tasks, there's much around to ensure that Marcus can progress easily. Most of the time when things go wrong, it's due to your own efforts, rather than glitches from the game. The police are ferocious and chases are frenetic and adrenaline-fuelled; there's little to do when the chase is on but try to get out of it as quickly as you can.

And that's nowhere near as easy as it sounds.

The online elements of the game are currently down due to Ubisoft issues, so can't be fully reviewed at this stage, but regardless of that, the main game itself is well worth owning.

The Watch_Dogs sequel is utterly essential; if you're after a game that consumes your life and you have a damn good time letting it do so, then this hacking saga is ultimately going to consume you. With its bright breezy gameplay and its tremendously engaging outlook, Watch_Dogs 2 is one for the ages - it's hard to see if they go for a threequel, how this slice of gaming perfection could be topped.

Batman Telltale Games: Episode 3: New World Order: PS4 Review

Batman Telltale Games: Episode 3: New World Order: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Developed by Telltale Games

The Telltale Batman game episodic series has been fairly compelling playing in its first 2 episodes.

But it's fair to say the third episode of the show blows everything out of the water in terms of story and propulsion of the narrative - and delivers one hell of a (spoiler) sucker punch at the end.

Sadly though, the third episode, The New World Order, is also the one that suffers from the most from technical issues, with at least 3 freezes forcing the restart of the game.

That aside, this is still all about Bruce Wayne, and follows Telltale's ethos that this is where the focus has been lacking in the past. Interactions with established characters, sinister machinations and at least one out of the blue moment ( as well as one slightly seductive moment) combine to make episode 3 the most turbulent yet.

With a heady mix of action and consequence starting to play out, and an established character heading down a path that has been long expected, Wayne's problems with his family legacy, his suspicion of others and his uncertain allegiances add up to one powderkeg of choice. Packing in narrative, some action and some detective work ensures all the elements are in place for an unpredictable ride that plays out before you.

As ever, the voice work is strong and both Troy Baker and Travis Willingham add a real emotional depth to the Wayne / Dent dynamic. There's real pathos at work here and the investment over the past few episodes is actually beginning to pay off (for reasons that again are too spoiler to go into further).

Ultimately, technical issues aside, New World Order is a real propulsion into the final two chapters of the story - with strong story-telling and real stakes being laid out, it's actually proving to be more worthwhile to play as Bruce than Batman. If anything, the Batman sections of the game slow things down and follow a degree of predictability whereas the human edges give the story nuances and reality.

Telltale Games has said episode four is a real game-changer and given the way three ends, it's going to be one hell of a wait to get into that penultimate episode.

The Founder: Film Review

The Founder: Film Review

Cast: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Laura Dern, Linda Cardinelli, Patrick Wilson
Director: John Lee Hancock

A prime slice of business ethics and an attempt at a semi-biographical piece of McDonald's early life, The Founder is once again Michael Keaton's award nomination spotlight.

Keaton is Ray Kroc, a travelling salesman and a veritable magpie of a man when it comes to what he thinks are good ideas. But often, his gambles fail - as testified to by his terse wife played by Laura Dern who simply wants a normal life and to spend evenings at the club. When he gets an order for 6 multi-mix milkshake machines, he assumes it's an error and contacts the buyers.

But it turns out those buyers are Dick and Mac McDonald (Parks and Rec star Offerman and American Horror Story's Carroll-Lynch), a pair of good ole boys running a burger joint. Kroc heads to the joint to take in the operation - and sees a potential money-spinner in front of him.

However, the MacDonald brothers are principled and work under their own sets of rules and ethics; believing expansion could denigrate their brand, they resist Ray's attempts to jostle into the takeaway industry. But Kroc's dogged persistence pays off - and he begins to expand and build an empire...

But at what cost?

The Founder is in no way a love letter to McDonald's.

It's a serving of unscrupulous behaviour and questionable morality - and aside from one early sequence that dishes up nostalgia in the form of the McDonald brothers starting their empire does it leave you hankering for a fast food fix.

Much like the junk food itself, The Founder promises much but fails to deliver much nutrition.

Kroc's avarice is well documented by Keaton; and to be fair, there's never an attempt to portray him as anything more than a complete asshat, who appears to have run roughshod over any who oppose his desires. Simply put, in Keaton's hands (and to a lesser extent director John Lee Hancock), Kroc's story is solely about getting what he wants, consequences and people be damned.

The film's gentle and genial beginnings give way to a sense of flatlining as the tale goes on over two hours as narrative threads wither worse than a pickle left out in the sun for days.

Dern's wife is afforded scant characterisation and is wasted; and Wilson and Cardinelli float in as Rollie and Joan Smith (the latter of whom Kroc ended up marrying) but their burgeoning relationship is sketched over with little more than a few looks suggesting the big bad wolf in Kroc. Offerman and Carroll Lynch start off strongly as the McDonald brothers, whose fraternal bond is forged and deepened over fries. But they waft away in the film and even Offerman's nuanced and rarely seen dramatic turn can't save them from feeling like piecemeal offerings in the overall story.

It's moments like these which feel like The Founder's floundered its initial promise and premise.

Granted, there are times when Keaton's performances trumps all but the lack of emotional investment into proceedings and the under-playing of the ethical clashes mean this drama unfortunately has little to offer at the cinematic dinner table.

Newstalk ZB Review - Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Star Trek: Beyond

Newstalk ZB Review - Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Star Trek: Beyond

This week, it was time to check out the very latest from JK Rowling, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them and also take a look at Star Trek Beyond.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-fantastic-beasts-and-critic-proof-franchises/

Central Intelligence: DVD Review

Central Intelligence: DVD Review

Released by Universal Home Ent

Mixing Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion with a spy caper sounds like a recipe for relative success, but Central Intelligence lacks the relative finesse to pull it all off.

That’s despite great chemistry between the two leads, Dwayne The Rock Johnson and everybody’s favourite screeching screen star Kevin Hart.

Johnson plays Bob Stone, who was in an obese high school student humiliated some 20 years ago. Hart is Calvin Joyner, a jock and high school popular guy (known as The Golden Jet) who helped Stone on his lowest day. But voted most likely to succeed, Joyner’s now hit middle age and works as an accountant. 

On the eve of their high school reunion, Joyner’s contacted out of the blue by Stone, who’s now a fanny pack, unicorn T-shirt wearing beefcake. Intrigued Joyner goes along to meet him and finds himself thrust into a twisting cul-de-sac of espionage and potential lies.

There may be intelligence in the title, but there’s little intelligence on display throughout this broad buddy comedy.

Granted, the chemistry between the duo propels a lot of the nonsense of Central Intelligence along (before it simply lapses into guns being shot off and traditional action film fare). 

Dwayne Johnson has a blast playing goofy and a bit dorky as the muscle-head and clearly relishes the chance to be a bit broader than his usual action meat and potatoes action hero stance. Playing up the physicality and yet still professing mad love for Sixteen Candles works well for the slightly doofus approach that's taken. And Hart starts off well, winding down the usual squawking he's familiar for - but ultimately, falls back on this schtick of shrill screeching and flapping around.

Ultimately, Central Intelligence will rise and fall on how much you like these two because the plot itself is fairly non-existent and surplus to requirements.

It may sound disingenuous to dismiss Central Intelligence for its intentions, but there aren't enough laughs or more of a hook than the comedian being the straight guy and the action hero being the kook to carry it all the way through.

Fairly generic and formulaic in anything other than the leading duo's chemistry, Central Intelligence is nothing short of slightly punishingly predictable - with neither enough laughs nor enough flair to leave you feeling you've seen something special.

He Said, She Said Episode 1 - Reviewing Doctor Strange

He Said, She Said Episode 1 - Doctor Strange

Welcome to a brand new bite size movie review show, He Said She Said!

They say opinions are like assholes - everyone has one and when it comes to movies, nothing's truer!


Starring yours truly and a cohort of mine, Maha Albadrawi, the quick film show will be taking a regular look at the latest movies for you to decide whether they're worth it.

Watch the premiere episode of He Said, She Said below and then let us know which of us was correct!

BATMAN - The Telltale Series' Episode 4: 'Guardian of Gotham' Trailer

BATMAN - The Telltale Series' Episode 4: 'Guardian of Gotham' Trailer

'BATMAN - The Telltale Series'  Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham Arrives November 22nd     Thrilling and Divergent Penultimate Episode Introduces a Grinning Future Adversary

Today we can unveil an all-new launch trailer and the release date for BATMAN - The Telltale Series Episode 4: 'Guardian of Gotham'.   The fourth of five episodes in the season, Episode 4: 'Guardian of Gotham' will be available digitally worldwide starting Tuesday November 22nd on PC from the Telltale Online Store, Steam, and other digital distribution services, on the Xbox Games Store for Xbox One® and Xbox 360®, and on the PlayStation®Network for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. The episode will be available the same day for compatible iOS devices via the App Store, and for compatible Android-based devices via Google Play.  Special note for Episode 4: Players will leave this episode in very different places depending on where they choose to go in the third act, and this will greatly affect their story rolling into the season finale as well. In Episode 4, Penguin has taken control of Wayne Enterprises, and the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane has a new guest - you - Bruce Wayne. With the Batman removed from the streets of Gotham City, Harvey Dent's forces and the Children of Arkham are at war, with innocent citizens caught in the crossfire. To escape the 'comforts' of your padded cell, you must choose allies to aid in your escape, even if they aren't the sort to put a smile on your face. How far are you willing to go for justice? For vengeance? What now, Dark Knight?  The series is also available to purchase at retailers in North America and Europe as a special Season Pass Disc, which includes the first of five episodes in the season, and grants access to the subsequent four episodes as they become available for download via online updates.  Rendered to look like a living, breathing comic book, Telltale's vision of Batman features an award-winning cast of talent, including Troy Baker in the role of Bruce Wayne,Travis Willingham as Harvey Dent, Erin Yvette as Vicki Vale, Enn Reitel as Alfred Pennyworth, Murphy Guyer as Lieutenant James Gordon, Richard McGonagle as Carmine Falcone, Jason Spisak as Oswald Cobblepot, Dave Fennoy as Lucius Fox, Anthony Ingruber as John Doe, andLaura Bailey as Selina Kyle.  BATMAN - The Telltale Series Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham is rated M (Mature) for Violence, Blood and Gore, Language, and Use of Drugs by the ESRB. Future content in the season is yet to be rated by the ESRB. The series is published by Telltale Games in partnership with Warner Bros.

 

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them: Film Review

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them: Film Review

Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, Samantha Morton, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller
Director: David Yates

There's certainly an appetite for more from author JK Rowling's Wizardly world.

The universe has been left bereft of a family friendly fantasy franchise since Voldemort bit the dust - as is evidenced by the stage appearance of the Cursed Child.

So it's perhaps inevitable that there's a degree of cynicism at the thought of 5 new films from a similar world of wizards, magic and commentary given how the Harry Potter series felt a little dragged out as it stumbled toward its denouement. (Can anyone say cash cow?)

But with a director of four of the Harry Potter films at the helm, it has to be said that Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them largely gets off to a reasonably magical start.

Set in 1926 New York, it's the story of nerdy, unsure and sheepish Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne, channeling shades of Matt Smith's 11th Doctor Who in parts) whose life has been spent collecting creatures, and storing them in a cavernous suitcase (a sort of leather bound portal into a Narnia / TARDIS style zoo of gigantic proportions).

But when Scamander accidentally loses one of the creatures, his hunt brings him into contact with genial wannabe baker and no-Maj / Muggle Jacob (played with doughy amiability by Fogler). Complicating matters further Scamander inadvertently swaps his suitcase with Jacob's, and plenty of the creatures get out - so begins Scamander's gotta-catch-em-all Ghostbusters style quest before tensions between humans and wizards boil over...

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them works fine as a first film, even if there is a feeling that the main cast don't quite have the chemistry and back-story of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione.

Comparisons are perhaps unfortunately inevitable to Rowling's prior franchise and while they serve to show the characters and their supporting ilk aren't as well-rounded out as they could be, there's plenty to marvel at visually on screen as the various critters and creatures come to life. To its credit, it doesn't spend a great amount of time setting up a world we already know that exists and simply gets on with proceedings.

In the first sequence where Jacob is summoned into Scamander's suitcase, it's clear the MO is to show off an array of cutesy creatures that will elicit shrieks of awe and wonder from the audience - and there are times when it appears that the film teeters dangerously into only having this in its magic box to show off (and leaving some doubts about how a further four films could be filled out).

Rowling's obviously aiming to talk more to the audience that's grown up with her books and who are of the age to understand bigotry, intolerance and a degree of bleakness.

In Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, there is a puritanical woman determined to drive out witches and who wouldn't be out of place in Salem (played by Morton, who's given little time and little more to do other than glower), a clutch of adopted children who are clearly traumatised by events and there's a hint of an ongoing conspiracy, complete with albino cameo, to keep the adult side a little more engaged.

However, there is a nagging feeling that some of the humanity is a little lost in this first film and parts of the plot are muddled, which is a marvel of imagination and acute period detail, with elements of Men In Black thrown in.

By far the most charming elements come from the slapstick and heart of loveable schlub Fogler, as he negotiates the wizarding world and finds himself under the spell of showgirl Queenie (Sudol), in an endearing romance that it's hard to not lose your heart to.

Redmayne's fine as the cowed and shy Scamander whose awkwardness is half parts endearing and half parts frustrating, and Waterston makes a strong start only to be subdued in the slightly laggy final third of the film which relies on the usual CGI -trashing-of-a-city trope.

Ultimately though, niggles aside, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is at times a magical experience that swathes some of the fluffier more slapstick fun elements in a welcome darkness that's redolent of real-life and the usual Rowling plot machinations.

While it may use the CGI concoctions to disguise some of the less robust characters, it's likely to be enough fun to obfuscate audiences and separate them from their money, and with some more adult themes and some dark current allegories in play, it's clear this solid wizardly movie will magic up all the family box office money regardless of what any critics say as the new franchise begins.

Rating:

Titanfall 2: PS4 Review

Titanfall 2: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by EA Games and Respawn Entertainment


The first Titanfall was a multi-player blast.

The first person shooter with robots where you got to smash and bash a la Pacific Rim against others was a great experience, but it was severely lacking a campaign element to ensure a degree of longevity.

Respawn Entertainment's second outing and improved game adds in that, as well as continuing the multiplayer elements which proved to be so popular the first time around.

In this latest, in the campaign element, you play Jack Cooper, sent to an alien planet and attacked when least expected. Jack desires to become a pilot and pilot a Titan. And when his mentor, Captain Lastimosa is wounded and dies, Jack gets his chance, as he's paired up with a Titan unit BT 7274.

The duo team up to take on the corrupt elements of the IMC and begin to penetrate a conspiracy...

Adding in elements of parkour and shooting prove to be a good concoction for Titanfall 2 and for its story overall.

Sure, there are moments that feel like meshes of both Knight Rider and Short Circuit as BT and Jack banter, but the engagement within gets over some of the fact that portions of the missions are repetitive.

That said, there's plenty of fun to be had in the running, shooting and exploring. The worlds initiated feel organic, full of life and with elements of danger all over the place. Wildlife when it attacks feels dangerous and while there are a range of weapons around to attack, reloading proves to be particularly slow and occasionally fatal.

But there's very much the dynamic of 1 guy and his mech buddy running through the campaign and it's very welcome.

As for the multiplayer, there were some concerns after the BETA, given how hard it was to kill others, and thereby depriving yourself of getting a Titan. Thankfully, that's been rectified and a Titan-meter means you can summon chaos from the sky and unleash carnage when everything comes to fruition.

All in all, Titanfall 2 is a fun title; a smash and bash style robots outing that more than serves its purpose. Thanks to tweaks in the gameplay and the addition of a campaign, this second time round is a lot stronger than the first and consequently deserves a longer shelf life.

Operation Avalanche: Film Review

Operation Avalanche: Film Review

A found footage film that proves the Moon Landing was fake may sound like a joke too far, but director / star Matt Johnson’s relentlessly inventive piece is nothing but a pure blast of cinephile love and an ode to the American space race.

In 1967, it’s the height of the Cold War, and there are concerns Russia’s going to beat America into space. At NASA, there’s an even deeper fear – that a mole has infiltrated their ranks and is stealing secrets.

Enter four undercover CIA agents (helmed by Matt Johnson’s goofball) who convince NASA to let them in under the pretense of filming a documentary about NASA – and who end up pitching the idea of a spoof Moon Landing film to ensure American interests win the day. To their surprise, the CIA says yes….

Endlessly clever and draped in 70s aesthetics with Super 8 footage and an infectious joie de vivre, Operation Avalanche is a film within a film conspiracy and it damn well knows it. But the meta doesn’t become so smart that it’s alienating – in fact, it’s anything but.

By taking the time to build character early on and set you a little off expectations by dishing out off-kilter moments and genuine laugh out loud moments at the geeky group as well as the premise that the CIA would allow a crew to blunder around filming, Operation Avalanche works incredibly well.

Unless you’re a diehard conspiracy theorist, you will love the flourishes in this gonzo film, and to be honest, nobody’s trying to convince you this found film footage is real but that’s not really the point of Operation Avalanche.

Effectively mining the special FX with ease and without obvious joins, there are authentic feeling moments which provoke marvel on a technical level – via Shepperton Studios and Stanley Kubrick. However, it’s not just these moments which stand out in Operation Avalanche.

Johnson’s created a group of likeable guys, spearheaded by his own giddy boy’s own chutzpah and it’s infectious. So much so that the final act of the film becomes a tensely filled nail biter of a finale creating as real a sense of terror as any decently done spinetingler of found footage horror can muster.

By never losing sight of the humanity in this space race shaggy dog story, Operation Avalanche is terribly evocative and effective. Clever and intelligently plotted within its layers within layers, it may be the smartest mass appeal found footage the audience will see.

Unless it proves to be true. 

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare: PS 4 Review

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare: PS 4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by Activision

Call of Duty is back.

And by goodness, in its HD Glory, it looks impressive.

There's the usual mix of first person shooter guts and glory, but this time around, the edge is definitely given by the simple good vs evil campaign that plays out.

After a false start sequence that sucks you right into the intergalactic action of events, it's all on. You take on the role of  Captain Nick Reyes, a Tier 1 Special Operations pilot, who's called into the war between the good and the bad.

And the bad comes in the form of Jon Snow aka Kit Harrington's Admiral Salen Kotch, a guy who's clearly a cold-blooded killer capable of exacting revenge. With elements of Battlestar Galactica, and many other space sagas, Call of Duty Infinite Warfare is fairly intense and gritty.

Early action sees civilians running for cover as dust clouds from explosions cover them; there's a rawness to all of this that's beyond uncomfortable in parts and which really hits at the realities of war among the populace (aside from the fact you have to start again if you decided to shoot and pick off civilians)

But this basis in reality grounds the space saga in ways you'd not expect.

With a Chappie style robot buddy called Ethan and a female wingman for Reyes, this game's covering all the bases as it hits the sci-fi highs. And it does hit highs as well, heading to space pretty quickly and pitching you in the middle of whole-scale devastation. This is not a game that sits back on its laurels and its pace is brisk and yet at the same time, completely levelly executed. Plus, once you head into space, you get to really take control, choosing which missions to instigate and where to go to next.

With dog-fights and space fights, the Infinite Warfare with its story elements feels solid, strong and confident. This is a game that gets the little things right - from a scuttering spider bomb that attaches to its combatants and then explodes all around them to shooting which feels instinctive and intuitive, the game play is thrilling.

Elsewhere, the Zombies mode is garish, ghoulish and very Scooby Doo-ish with the let loose in a theme park 80s mentality really coming to the fore. But it's infinite fun as you try to survive the marauding hordes, either solo or in a co-op mode. The online game is also solid too, with nary a sign of a glitch as you try to survive as many hordes of shambling masses as you can. It's fun, frivolous and surprisingly frantic, trading as it does on the horror tropes and in-jokes.

In fact, the multiplayer of this iteration of Call of Duty is solid all around - Team Deathmatch has been the usual vice and you'll need wits about you to play through it. XP, Mods and perks all come to those who endure - and if you're struggling to endure, you may need to reassess your gameplay style because it's as unrelenting as ever.

With variety proving to be the spice of life for Call of Duty, this Infinite Warfare package is a no-brainer. It's welcoming to newbies and seasoned enough for veterans to sit back and shoot away - but it's a sign that despite an annual release, Call Of Duty shows no sign of resting on its laurels.

They may say the sky's the limit, but when it comes to Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, the sky's just the beginning.

War on Everyone: Film Review

War on Everyone: Film Review

Cast: Alexander Skarsgard, Michael Pena, Paul Reiser, Theo James, Tessa Thompson
Director: John Michael McDonagh

It's hard to work out if the writer / director of the sublime Calvary has his tongue firmly in his cheek in his first American film foray.

At times, War on Everyone, with its scuzzy OTT moments, appears to be parodying the 70s Cop shows that were so prevalent and so over the top with their characters and testosterone-filled leads. And yet, you're never quite sure if this was intentional or a pure drizzle of cinematic coincidence.

As it starts on a great philosophical question of "If you hit a mime with a car you're chasing him in, does he make a sound?", you could be forgiven for thinking this tale of two corrupt and nihilistic cops is going to do more than revel in its black humour.

Skarsgard and Pena play Monroe and Bolano respectively, who are one chastisement away from being kicked off the force because of their unconventional methods. But when they come face to face with tweed wearing Brit bad guy Lord Mangan (played by Theo James), the duo could have bitten more off than they can chew....

It's not as if War On Everyone doesn't have the McDonagh black humour trademarks scored through. With some truly off-kilter one-liners and some continual prodding of the Brits via an Irish character, the hallmarks are there for laughs.

But somehow, the delivery of the whole thing feels flat and at the end of the day, what should be steeped in irony and deliciously dead-pan ends up grating and frankly, at times, irritating as hell. The comic banter between the duo becomes annoying and tiresome as the satire falls flat and the film begins to drag.

For an American foray, McDonagh has his genre bases well covered and there are anarchic touches that are welcome throughout - it's almost as if it was a 70s cop TV show through a profanity laced filter.

As one character remarks, "You ain’t got a good script, you ain’t got shit". It seems an awfully meta touch from this criminal that really does hit the crux of the problem on the head. Whereas Calvary and The Guard were steeped in a dark delicious humour that delivered emotionally and cinematically, War on Everyone spends most of its time trying to beat you into submission like a moustachioed police officer trying to garner a confession from a crim.

It's not a fatal flaw for War on Everyone, but this lack of consideration over how it will sound on the screen does hold the film back from soaring and making you reflect on why films like Lethal Weapon and the buddy dynamic work so well.

Instead, this cop film deserves to be locked up - and McDonagh needs to be given a warning over its disjointed narrative and execution.

Sing Street: DVD Review

Sing Street: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

There’s plenty to love in John Carney’s cloyingly generic yet somehow winning uplifting coming of age tale, Sing Street, even if it does skirt with a story you’ve heard many times before and tackles any kind of cynicism head on.

Carney’s musical trilogy and the meaning of music began with the romance of the duo of Once,before taking a circuitous route with Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo in Begin Again.

It’s come full circle with 80s Dublin set tale Dublin about Conor (newcomer Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, channeling elements of Moone Boy Padraig’s charming simplicity) and his uprooting to a state school, because of financial family issues.

Initially bullied at the new school (so far, so stereotypical) Conor decides on a whim to impress Lucy Boynton’s Raphina whom he sees hanging about the school. Believing her claim she's a model and needing to be cool, he tells her he’s in a band and they need for a shoot.

The only problem – the band’s non-existent and the clock is ticking for Conor to pull together a ragtag crew of musical misfits to win over the day - and potentially, the girl.

As previously alluded to, the musical comedy Sing Street isn’t exactly original, but by goodness, it’s certainly heart-warming fare that proves hard to resist, thanks to a heady mix of pop nostalgia and some solid performances from a largely unknown cast as well as a comic script that is laugh out loud funny in places and bitterly recognisable in others.

But it also helps that Carney once again demonstrates his immense directorial nous for bringing music to life. 

As with Once’s 2007 pairing of Glen and Marketa’s live performance inside a studio and 2013’s Begin Againbringing dormant musical instruments together to show how a song is constructed by those who understand music, Carney’s exuberance is evident in his musical execution.

From the faux New Romantic Be Kind Rewind style video of Conor’s first song (the annoyingly catchy earworm The Riddle of The Model) to a tautly executed shot from within a solo rehearsal in a front room that swirls and turns into a full on front room band performance, Carney’s aptitude for breathing life into music and demonstrating why so many are so passionate about it is immensely and satisfyingly contagious.

There’s an earnestness to Sing Street that is undeniable too, even if it does wear its heart on its sleeve and bellows its occasionally bittersweet, happy/ sad narrative universality to many.

The whole story actually pivots on the fraternal relationship between Conor and the terrific Jack Reynor’s Brendon, a college drop-out and stoner whose guidance of Conor’s musical education becomes more formative than he could have realised. 

While the other fripperies of the coming-of-age genre are skirted with (hints of abusive priests at school, the bully at school, the potentially unattainable girl) and the characters of the band fall away in the wash, underdeveloped despite initial flirtations and amusements, this one relationship between brothers is central to proceedings and is as crucial to the proceedings as Conor’s musical journey.

There’s no denying that the rite-of-passage Sing Street is wish-fulfilment film-making in extremis and feel-good fare that could clog the arteries , but it’s difficult not to fall hard for this toe-tapping flick given the immense charm and spirited optimistic energy that springs from the screen.

Warcraft: DVD Review

Warcraft: DVD Review

Released by Universal Home Ent

If Warcraft ever had an obstacle to over come, it's set out right at the start - a way in for those non familiar to the genre.

While the games and novels have been massive for years, the idea of a CGI fantasy helmed pic is a hard sell  to non-fans (even ones like us blessed with the Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit series) and unfortunately Duncan Jones' flick will do little to convince those who don't know their orcs from their wizards to sign up.


Half the problem lies in an info dump at the start which is confusing, exposition heavy and tries to create a breathing world that you can embrace right away. But it is muddled and drops so much that the rest of the plot somehow manages to be flimsy in its wake.

Loosely, Warcraft is about a horde of orcs invading Azeroth, a kingdom of humans and another world through a portal because their's is dying.But the humans, led by Travis Fimmel's fighter Lothar and Ben Foster's magician Medivh, the guardian of their lands won't stand for it.

However, with one of the Orc chiefs Durotan (a mo-capped Kebbell, the unsung star of the piece)  unsure of his magician Orc leader's choices and with betrayals aplenty, the fight may not be as straightforward as expected...

With too many action and bloodless fight sequences that are both brash and noisy, as well as difficult to care about, WARCRAFT's cod fantasy and slightly ropy dialogue makes this FX fest something of a drudge. 

It's a shame as the visuals are reasonably impressive on an IMAX setting, with castles and kingdoms looking as good as anything Peter Jackson has ever crafted, and giving the lands a sense of being.

Equally, the first close up of troubled Orc Durotan bristles with sharp contours of skin and detail popping out and feeling realistic, rather than a rote CGI creation.

But it's the human elements and story which unfortunately don't shine here.

Blessed with too little character and a rushed execution, Warcraft barely finds space to breathe or time to invest in the emotional journeys. 

Be it Paula Patton's out of place female Orc slave being set up as a potential love interest, Travis Fimmel's supposedly broken warrior, Dominic Cooper's fey king or Ben Foster's scenery chewing and mumbling Guardian, these are once over lightly protagonists that do little to sell their oh-so-familiar story arcs.

It's a shame because the conflicted Orc chieftain, as well as a warlord unwilling to embrace the archaic honour code to subjugate their own are interesting threads worthy of growth. But they wither on the CGI vine, unloved and left out in favour of the old fantasy deus ex machina, magic.

Plus emotional moments which should fuel the plot's momentum and deepen the character engagement feel rushed and less than effective in the final third.

The fact Warcraft will satiate large swathes of its core game fans (of which there are billions who've invested countless amounts of time in the World of Warcraft second world) is not necessarily a good thing. 

The fact the story is frustratingly inconclusive and a desperate grab for new franchise is yet another slap in the face after 2 hours of soulless CGI drudgery that revels in nothing more than sound and fury.
Ultimately, Warcraft is neither magical nor engrossing as a saga, or the first part thereof: it's a formulaic fantasy film that's neither fantastic nor thrilling, and is dangerously close to an over-long, unexciting game of Dungeons and Dragons.

Ghost In The Shell trailer drops

Ghost In The Shell trailer drops

Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, “GHOST IN THE SHELL” follows Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9.

Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.

Starring Scarlett Johansson, Ghost In The Shell  releases March 30th

Julieta: Film Review

Julieta: Film Review

Cast:  Emma Suarez, Adriana Ugarte, Daniel Grao
Director: Pedro Almodovar

Jumping between 30 years of one woman's life, director Pedro Almodovar's latest is a colour-soaked Greek tragedy of a story that circumnavigates Hitchcock, mystery and romance with relative ease.

Suarez is Julieta, who, as the film starts is packing up her life in Madrid and getting ready to move abroad with new love Lorenzo. But a chance encounter on the streets with another woman from her past sets her away from this course of action and into abandoning her plans.

As she sits down to reflect, she begins to write a long letter to someone from her past - and the film traverses a leap into the past where Julieta's younger version (played with dazzling ease by new find Adriana Ugarte) is a classics teacher and who has a chance encounter on a train with Xoan (Grao) that becomes so much more...

With flashbacks and a soundtrack that feels like it's straight out of mystery film with the beats it hits as well as some striking use of colour, Almodovar's latest is, for the first half at least, a film that has intrigue painted through its DNA as it weaves together three short stories from Alice Munro.

But during one pivotal moment, an action by a main character (which cannot be revealed here for its spoiler nature) feels so jarringly unrealistic and inhuman that it jolts you out of belief from the film and causes the rest of the emotional consequences to fail to hit at all.

It's a crippling shot to the film which hitherto has worked its immense charm thanks to Suarez's turn and the enigmatic Ugarte as the younger version. With talk of Ulysses and the siren, the allegory of a fisherman falling for a mysterious woman may be a little heavy handed but in works in large parts as the meditation on grief and guilt shifts away from a casual love story to a supposedly deeper and darker piece.

Julieta may be intended to deliver an emotional sucker punch but its frustrating flaws in the back half mean the investment of the first feels squandered as the drama shifts into melodramatic territory. Granted, the Spanish auteur may still be working well, but based on the pacing of Julieta, he's not firing on all cylinders.

Rating:

Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks: Film Review

Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks: Film Review

Cast: Patrick Troughton, Anneke Wills, Michael Craze

Missing for half a century, this six part 1960s tale of Doctor Who is one of the holy grails for fandom.

With telesnaps and audio recordings able to give some inclination of what it was all like when the Second Doctor met the Daleks for the very first time on the Planet Vulcan and when Polly and Ben met the new Doctor for the first time, there'd always been hope of it being found somewhere and somehow.

But, on the 50th anniversary of its transmission and in the lead up to it, the BBC announced a fully animated version of this serial to the delight of fans everywhere. Not only because it's the Daleks, but because it's the first time Troughton ever appeared as the Doctor after the regeneration of William Hartnell.

The story centres around a scientist named Lesterson is investigating a mysterious alien capsule found abandoned on the planet Vulcan. Inside it are three inert Daleks. And we all know what that means - trouble....

Remarkably tense and not often feeling its six part length, The Power of the Daleks is vintage 1960s Doctor Who. Set on a planet cut off from Earth, with various political factions at play within, the confused Doctor and the even more confused Ben and Polly are thrown into the middle of a minefield. Further complicated by the arrival of the Daleks, the Doctor's belief that carnage lies around the corner struggles to be heard by others.

The at times jerky animation, with its hues of greys, adds a lot to proceedings, though in fairness at times, it doesn't quite capture all of Troughton's exquisite facials and expressions to a tee - but it is to be commended for its relative faithfulness to what source material was used. It's the little moments that stand out in the animation, rather than the full scale recreations of the characters.

There are a few moments which juddered - the disappearance of a badge, the motion blurring of a nametag - but it's largely smooth and captures the atmospheric of the episodes. Troughton's performance, and to some degrees the animation thereof, comes into its own mid-way through the run, and it's almost as if he were there on screen again.

As for the malignant pepperpots themselves, they look wonderful in their on-screen execution, bringing levels to their sneakiness as they play the human factions off each other. There's much to love in their differing appearance from usual, though their race conquering comes to the fore eventually. It's clear to see why the writers used one of the most iconic characters to usher in a new era where regeneration was an unknown quantity - and while it's also the Doctor's story, it's very much a new story for the Daleks and their ways (even if their reason for being there and eventual scuppering are narratively conveniently papered over).

Ultimately, the animation and recreation (along with remastered soundtrack and audio) add a lot to bringing this to life on the 50th anniversary of its transmission. An extra at the end of the performance explains the 6 month creation period led to some haste being needed to be added, but all in all, Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks is fan-fulfillment at its best - and showcases animation techniques quite well too.

Newstalk ZB Review - Arrival, Nocturnal Animals, and Weiner

Newstalk ZB  Review - Arrival, Nocturnal Animals, and Weiner

This week on ZB, it was an Amy Adams double with reviews of new film Arrival and her second film Nocturnal Animals.

And with the US election news, I took a look at Weiner.

Take a listen below

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-arrival-nocturnal-animals-and-weiner/

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-arrival-nocturnal-animals-and-weiner/

Lights Out: Blu Ray Review

Lights Out: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Creating an atmospheric horror that's more a parable about the creeping darkness of depression is the MO of David Sandberg's expansion of his Lights Out short film.

In the James Wan produced flick, the monster haunting a family is Diana, a creature who disappears when the lights go on, but when the lights go out, it's full tilt terror. But at its heart, it's an effectively taut parable about depression that keeps an eye on jump scares as well.

Essentially, Teresa Palmer's Rebecca, a rocker who left home after her father walked out becomes concerned when her younger brother Martin (Bateman) starts displaying symptoms of sleeplessness and claiming that an entity is haunting his mother Sophie (Maria Bello). The reason she's so worried? Because these were exactly the fears she faced when younger....

So, taking Martin under her wing, Rebecca starts to face up to old fears once again....

Relatively taut (though occasionally bogged down with parts of backstory) first time director Sandberg's Lights Out is quite effective at dealing out chills and the obligatory jump scares. The strength in Lights Out comes from the casually dropping in elements of back story to illuminate the characters and expand on the familial straining of the ties and relationships.

But the whole piece works more effectively as a film about depression, as well as an occasionally dig your nails into the cinema chair fright fest. (That said, its ending and ultimate denouement is perhaps controversial in some aspects).

Palmer turns in a performance that's eminently watchable as the rocker daughter who thought life had moved on, but whose return home sees her having to face her fears, both literally and figuratively. As the kid in terror, Bateman fares well in parts, while in others, he succumbs to the trappings of the genre and becomes a screaming sibling; admittedly though, his selling of the creeping fear and dread early on is more than impressive as the house comes under greater siege from the unseen horror. (Equally stirring and note worthy is the soundscape of the film which works effectively to build an atmosphere of eerie unease.)

However, it's Bello's turn as Sophie, the mother under pressure from demons both within and without that really stands out as this allegory for the creeping black dog is brought to life. Tapping into her own real life fight against bipolar disorder clearly helps her, and the subtleties brought to the fore by Bello's simple facials and odd looks of terror work wonders to underscore the inherent fear within.

Ultimately, Lights Out is an effective and short chiller that does occasionally lapse into dumb horror movie territory, but seen as a wider cautionary tale about depression, it presents a more thoughtful allegorical piece to keep the horror genre fresh.